© Carol Silva
Australian indie band Dope Lemon brought its hazy folk-grunge sound to Luxembourg's den Atelier for an intimate musical night.
I just recently learned about Dope Lemon. A friend of mine invited me to join the concert, and as soon as I started to listen, I was hooked. It felt very familiar to me as someone who loves indie folk music. It reminded me of Tallest Man on Earth and Fruit Bats, mixed in with this grungy ethereal quality – I didn't think these two adjectives could work together, but if you have a listen to Dope Lemon, they do. Turns out, this wasn't the first time I was listening to Angus Stone, the singer-songwriter behind Dope Lemon. He previously sang with his sister in the musical duo, Angus & Julia Stone.
The concert was at den Atelier, my favorite music venue in Luxembourg. I love it because it's cosy and intimate, often letting you get much closer to musicians who usually draw in much larger crowds. As the opening band, Piri & Tommy began their set, a light mist of rain started falling outside, bringing more of the audience indoors.
Piri & Tommy energised the crowd with their drum and bass music. Their 'underwater-alien-beach-party' outfits, with Piri's light, girly, poppy vocals perfectly set the mood for what was to come.
Between shows, I started scoping out the crowd. It truly felt like all the hipsters* of Luxembourg and its surrounding areas came out for the show. *I say hipster lovingly because I fully recognise I have at least half a leg dipped into the pool of hipsterdom. But as soon as I started try to count the mullets in the audience, Dope Lemon started.
The Australian band stepped out on stage looking pretty dapper in their hats and sunglasses. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Blues Brothers but with a Wild West, modern, folk twist. It could even be that the connection is intentional, because John Belushi, one of the Blues Brothers, is the subject to one of Dope Lemon's songs, aptly named, John Belushi.
The music and Angus Stone's voice have an immersive quality that transports you to a state of calm and hazy enjoyment. The harmonica player was also blazing away, adding even more to the atmosphere. The only way to describe it, was that the crowd was vibing. Every once in a while, the audience was singing along to the words or to the iconic guitar riffs like the one in the song, Marinade.
Although I will mention that the music felt incredibly loud, louder than what it usually feels like at den Atelier. Shout out to den Atelier though for providing free protective earbuds, because I'm sure those are the only reason I could comfortably enjoy the music without my ears ringing this morning.
The band mentioned what a beautiful city Luxembourg was and how they spent a "magical time" drinking beer at a pub. While they didn't mention a specific place, I like to imagine them at Scott's pub, taking in the glorious view of the Grund. They talked about how they had good conversations with people in the city, reminding them about how life is about enjoying the simple moments.
Behind the musicians, doodles, cartoons, and psychedelic patterns were projected, making the most of the small set. Then the musicians were joined on stage by dancers wearing big cat suit heads. The cat heads were also reminiscent of old school cartoons like Scooby Doo, or perhaps more accurately, the jazzy alley cats from the old Disney movie, The Aristocats.
Me and my friends couldn't help but think about how hot those dancers were feeling under the big cat heads, especially because by this time, den Atelier was feeling like a sauna.
The band talked about how much they love doing what they do, because they get to show love and have people come together through their music. Unfortunately, the man behind me and my friends didn't get the peace and love memo, because after harassing one of my friends multiple times, he made us all so uncomfortable we left before the encore was over.
After the incident, I did ask one of the workers at den Atelier what we should do when an audience member is being aggressive. She told me that den Atelier has security guards on the outside of the crowd and to reach out to them because aggressive behavior is not tolerated at den Atelier. While it was too late for us, I hope this information can be helpful to someone in the future.
Although I'm very happy I went to the concert, It was a true pity that the loudness, heat, and drunkenness of the man behind us tainted the positive folk vibes of the incredible music from Dope Lemon.
